SPEEDBALL filly American-bred City Flight puts her unbeaten record of four wins at stake today when she moves up in class to contest the $786,000 St Catherine Cup among Open Allowance horses at Caymans Park.

The dark/bay filly by City Place out of Flight Of Glory (Formal Dinner) bred by Exstrom, Bruce K in the USA has just turned three but that has not stemmed her flow as she continued from where she left off as a two-year-old with three wins to blow away Overnight Allowance on January 30 with another command performance at three.

Conditioned for the races by Gary Subratie for owner Michros, City Flight takes another step up the racing spectrum at Open Allowance that could prove to be her most compelling test to date.

The St Catherine Cup has attracted a high-class field of seasoned three-year-olds upward combatants going 1,100 metres and scheduled to be run at approximately 4:45 pm with first post set at 1:00 pm.

Included among the dynamic field of seven runners, who City Flight will face in the quick dash, are fellow American speedsters Rio Cobre who is saddled with top weight of 57.0kg; Double The Honey 56.5kg and El Ponderoso 56.0kg.

The field of runners would be completed by the inclusion of last year’s Oaks winner Exotic Gold, herself by no means a sloth going this sharp. The other are Smokin Man and Makin Bop.

While City Flight will face the best crop of dashers for the first time, she is expected to do so on top of her game as was demonstrated on January 30 when she straightway showed positive signs of being a class act by posting a reasonable good time of 58.2 for 1,000 metres straight.

Her first win was going today’s distance of 1,100 metres was not as impressive as Commander One, but the City Place filly has grown substantially since then and with she being allowed weight all round from the top contenders in excess of 4.0kg individually, could give her the edge to continue her carnage.

Be that as it may, any of El Ponderoso, Rio Cobre, Double The Honey or Exotic Gold could test the true mettle of the morning line favourite. However, a reasonable choice to upset the filly City Flight is the top weighted Rio Cobre.

A winner at the lower level over today’s distance on last, Rio Cobre, a five-year-old dark bay gelding by Chelsey Cat out of Chelsey’s Finset (Crafty Friend) and bred by Nancy C Shuford in the USA was a winner in a fast time and although rising 2.0kg to the good should not be easily beaten.

Prepared for the races by the champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, Rio Cobre has been taking his time rounding into useful form with some good performances without winning as a four-year-old. He has trained well for another good run over the distance of his last triumph and with the champion jockey Dane Nelson called up to replace the lightly weighted jockey Leo Miller and a repeat performance must not be ruled out.

Meanwhile Dane Nelson, the current joint leader in the jockeys’ standings, will serve a 10-day suspension and pay a $10,000 fine for his failure to ride Hogan’s Hero on its merit in the sixth race at Caymanas Park last Saturday. The suspension takes effect on February 16.

Nelson, a graduate of the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) Jockeys’ Training Pogramme, won his first jockeys’ title last year to commemorate 10 years as a licensed rider.